


Late Night Terrors

by MightBeInsane



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Cute, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff, Minor Angst, Pining Lance (Voltron), Pre-Season/Series 03, Shiro is over protective, kinda langst, lidge, pance, pidgance, plance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2019-01-29 06:59:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12625656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MightBeInsane/pseuds/MightBeInsane
Summary: Pidge wakes from a bad dream with a call out to Lance, and he happen to be passing by. From there, their relationship seems to change.





	1. Late Night Terrors

_"Matt? Matt, where are you?" It was dark, far too dark to see any farther than a few feet ahead of her. "Where am I?" She murmured in an after thought. This wasn't the castle. Where was everyone? "Shiro? Lance, Keith? Hunk, are you here?" The girl called out, growing more fearful with every step forwards she took. Her hand went along the wall as she walked, guiding her. She breathed in a soft gasp as her hand felt something, then let out a sigh of relief when it seemed to be a light switch._

__

__

_Flipping it on was a mistake, she knew. She knew this had to be wrong. In front of her was every person she had been looking for, her older brother included. The logic in her mind told her to keep back, this wasn't real. None of this was real. But she didn't listen, she wouldn't._

__

__

_"Katie.." Matt gave a warm smile and stepped forwards, while she did the same._

__

__

_Her slow steps turned into a sprint, then a dead halt. "Matt? Matt, no. No!" His smile was gone, along with the color in his skin. He was pale, far too pale. There was a drop of dried blood at the corner of his mouth, and just as she tried to look further over him, he fell forwards. Then Allura, Coran. Keith, Hunk. Shiro. Lance was the last left, and her feet wouldn't move. "Lance. Lance, what's- Lance!" He fell too, a pained expression on his face._

__

__

"Lance!" Pidge shot up in her bed, her hair a mess and tears stinging in her eyes. "Matt.." She murmured, pulling her knees to her chest. She should be use to it by know, she knew. She'd had similar dreams quite often lately. "A dream, just a dream. Just a dre- Ah!" The short girl fell from her bed as her door busted open, her blankets wrapped around her in a jumbled mess.

She struggled against them only briefly before they were pulled away by a third party, and she noticed the light was on. Squinting her brown eyes as they adjusted to the new lighting, Pidge looked up to see the dark skinned boy she knew as Lance. He looked.. Worried?

"Pidge, are you alright? I was passing by to get a drink and I heard you call my- Hey, hey. What happen, why are you crying?" His eyes went slightly wide as he crouched down next to the girl. "Bad dream?" He guessed softly, putting a hand atop her messed head of hair.

After brief hesitation, she nodded, then quickly wiped her face. "It was nothing, don't worry. Sorry to startle you, I'm gonna get back to sleep." With that, the brunette crawled back into her bed.

Lance stood, but made no move to leave just yet. "Do you.. Want to talk about it? I mean maybe if you do it'll- Please stop glaring like that I'm just being nice is it really so surprising? Geesh, I'm not Keith."

At the last part, Pidge couldn't help but to crack a small smile. She sat up again with a sigh, and Lance sat by her feet. It took a minute or two of silence mixed with awkwardly worded encouragement, but the green paladin explained in a soft voice what had happen in her dream.

"Matt, that's your brother right?" Lance asked, and was answered with a nod. "Don't worry, Pidge. If he's anything like you, I'm sure he's alive and well. And for everyone in the castle.. Well, I'm living proof that we're all fine, right?" He offered a grin and opened up his arms. "Now who needs a late night hug? And maybe a night light. Hunk sleeps with one, I'm sure he'll lend it."

Pidge huffed and crossed her arms, a slight tint of pink of her cheeks. "Don't mess around. I'm not afraid of the dark, I just don't like watching everyone I care about die three times a week. And.. It was scary. I'm allowed to get scared!" She snapped.

He frowned slightly and dropped his arms. "You're right, there's nothing wrong with getting scared sometimes." The boy shrugged. "I get scared. He doesn't show it, but I'm pretty sure Keith gets scared. And Hunk.. Well, we all know how he is with fear." He opened his arms again, his expression sincere. "I'm not making fun of you, Pidge."

She looked at him, her expression skeptical. "That's a bit hard to believe."

"You really think that lowly of me?"

"Not lowly. But you aren't often serious." She looked away.

Lance was silent a moment, then let out a quiet sigh. "I guess you're right.." He muttered, a slight frown on his lips. After a slight pause, Pidge felt his arms wrap around her in a comforting embrace. "But that doesn't mean that I'm never serious. I don't like bad dreams, either." His voice was soft, showing a gentle side Pidge hadn't seen before.

She hesitated, but her arms slowly came up to wrap around him as well. The two sat there for a while, Lance's arms wrapped strongly around her while hers drooped weakly. She was shaking slightly, her eyes shut tightly.

As she finally calmed, her breathing slow and tired, her arms fell from around him. His didn't yet move, though. "Lance.. Do you ever miss your family?" The girl asked in almost a whisper.

He let out a soft chuckle. "Every day, Pidge. Every day." His hand moved in small circles on her back, and she felt her eyes droop tiredly as she was able to relax.

"Could you.. Stay with me for a bit longer? I.. Don't really want to fall asleep alone, if I'm honest." She gripped his shirt slightly, staring determinedly at his chest as she ignored the blush that she could feel on her cheeks. The words were embarrassing to say, and she knew Lance -being Lance- might very well make a joke out of it. If not now, then tomorrow at the least.

"Of course. I'm not gonna comfort and dash, that's not very gentlemanly." Although she wasn't looking at his face, Pidge could hear the smirk in his tone.

"You're such an idiot, Lance." She giggled and tilted her head up, a small smile on her lips as she did. "Thank you. I.. Feel a bit better now." Pidge murmured, then yawned.

"No problem, man. Why don't you get back to sleep? I'll stay here." Lance patted her on the head, then slowly let go of her and moved so that he was sat on the floor, his back against the bed but his head turned to look at her.

With a nod, the tired teen pulled her blankets off of the floor and covered herself, getting comfortable. It wasn't long before she fell into a comfortable sleep, her friend's presence keeping her calm as she slept.


	2. Sleep Deprivation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the next few weeks after that night, Lance found Pidge more often than not knocking on his door after she woke from a nightmare.

For the next few weeks after that night, Lance found Pidge more often than not knocking on his door after she woke from a nightmare. The blue paladin would welcome her in with a soft smile, helping her calm before leading her back to her own room. He stayed with her until she was back to sleep, before heading back to his own bed.

Sleep deprivation was nothing new to him, he was always awake at those hours anyways. While he wished his friend didn't have to dream such startling things, he was genuinely grateful to be of help. After all, there wasn't much else the boy felt he could do.

So when Pidge's dreams became far less frequent, her visits nearly non existent, Lance was left alone again. The closeness he felt growing with her on those silent nights seemed nowhere to be found, as they acted as if nothing had happen during he days.

All five of the paladins, as well as Allura and Coran, were sat at the table for dinner. Hunk had made something this time, but unfortunately for Lance's taste buds -which felt eager to taste something besides green goop- his stomach didn't feel welcoming of any of it. This wasn't a rare occurrence for him, the other's easily convinced that he had eaten too much throughout the day to be hungry.

As he pushed his plate away, his appetite filled with repetitive thoughts, Pidge was the first to say something. "Aren't you hungry, Lance? We were in the lions all day." She pointed out, surely hinting that it was unlikely he had eaten much.

Naturally, Lance pulled on a grin. "What, are you worried, Pidge? Awe. Nah, I'm too tired to be hungry." He stood up. "I'm gonna go hit the sack, thanks for the meal, Hunk." With a wink, the dark brown haired boy left to his room, leaving the six to finish in peace. They were probably better off without his dumb jokes, anyways.

***

A soft knock is what pulled Lance from his thoughts, for the first time in days now, and he looked up to his door. He was sat on his bed, his covers practically untouched and his knees pulled to his chest. After a pause, and another more eager knock, the boy got up and let Pidge in.

She had her blanket wrapped around herself, her body trembling noticeably. When she saw Lance, tears she had been holding back began to fall. The sliding door shut obediently behind her as she stepped in, letting the blanket fall. "Lance.." Was all she murmured, before his arms were wrapped protectively around her.

Of the many nights Lance has opened his door to her, this was one of the few that she had still been crying when she arrived -even if he had said many times she could come immediately. "Hey, hey. It's alright, I've got you. We're all here." He spoke to her in a soft voice, his hand stroking her hair as he recalled his mother doing the same to him when he was still a child.

Pidge's arms were tightly around his waist, a surprising strength from such a small person nearly knocking the breath out of him. Neither teen was sure of just how long they stood there, the only sound an occasional comforting whisper from Lance or a soft whimper from Pidge, before she finally spoke up in a shaky tone.

"Are you okay, Lance?" She looked up at him, her big brown eyes glistening with a mix of her finally stopped tears and worry.

This question took Lance by surprised, but he answered with a smile. "Of course. Although that's a pretty silly question, you're the one with watery eyes." He let out a soft chuckle and lead the girl to his bed, letting her to sit down beside him. "Was it the same dream as before? Do you want to talk about it?" He inquired, wiping her cheeks with soft thumbs.

She gave a slight shake of her head. "It was different. It.." Pidge leaned against him, looking at the wall of the dark room. "When you didn't answer the first time I knocked, I thought that maybe it wasn't just a dream. I thought you left." She sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve.

"Left?" Lance frowned at that. Why would that make her cry? So long as he left behind his lion, they could find someone else to help them form Voltron. They didn't need him, he was just a filler. "You thought the blue lion was gone, you mean?"

Pidge shook her head. "No, you. I thought that maybe you got in a shuttle and left. You miss your family, and you're sick of space goo, a-and-"

"Hey, hey. Slow down, Pidgey. I mean, who doesn't miss their family and Earth food?" He grinned playfully down at her. "And besides, it's not like I'm the only one who can pilot the blue lion. I'm sure that Allura or Coran could if-"

"That isn't what I mean!" The girl huffed and looked at him, her face formed into a scowl that pulled the grin from his lips. "I'm not talking about the blue lion, I'm talking about you, Lance. This has nothing to do with Voltron."

Lance blinked slowly, his eyebrows furrowing. "I don't get it. What exactly does this have to do with your dream? I don't see why me leaving would make you cry." He said honestly, realizing that perhaps he should take a more serious tone with the conversation. Pidge seemed more upset than usual, and he didn't want to make it worse. He didn't want her to stop coming to him.

"How can you be so stupid sometimes?" Pidge sighed and turned, wrapping her arms around his neck and meeting his startled eyes. "Isn't it obvious? I dreamed that you left, Lance. Not only did you leave, but the Galra got you. Not the lion, just you. This team needs you. Not just because you're a paladin, but because you're our friend, our family. We need your stupid jokes and idiotic friendliness."

"P-Pidge.." His eyes were slightly wide, his cheeks flushed with a blush. "Pidge, I-I get it, I get it. Back up already, you're so close.." He wasn't sure he fully understood her words, if he was honest. Surely Pidge was tired, just startled from her dream. But.. Part of him felt a ping of happiness hearing what she had said. It was the first time since he had become the blue paladin that anyone had expressed wanting him to stay here. 

At his comment, the tired eyed girl blushed as well when she realized their closeness. Instead of pulling away, though, she gave his warm cheek a kiss before pressing her face into his neck. "Can I just sleep here? So that I know you'll still be in the castle when I wake up?" She asked a bit shyly, hugging him a bit more tightly.

Lance let a small smile crawl onto his lips, a genuine one. "Of course, Pidge. Whatever helps you sleep." He murmured in response.

It wasn't long before both paladins were fast asleep, the covers pulled lazily over them. Pidge was pressed comfortably against Lance's chest, his arms securely around her. While it would only be a few hours before they had to wake up and untangle themselves from each other, it would be the best sleep lance had gotten since home.


	3. Space Dad Disapproves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If y'all can see the 'This is the first of five thing at the bottom of this chapter, I can't figure out how to get rid of it. It posted on the wrong part it seems. xD Ignore it, considering it's already part three, heh. ^^

Pidge woke up to a knock on the door, and frowned slightly as she could feel the warmth of the body next to her moving away. _The body next to her? _Her eyes opened as she recalled what had happened last night, and she could feel a warmth tint her cheeks.__

__Lance didn't notice her wake, and went over to the door with a yawn. It slid open to reveal Hunk, who greeted him with a smile. The blue paladin wished him a good morning, then inquired what the deal was._ _

__"Well, you slept in. And have you seen Pidge? Shiro said she wasn't in her room, so she's probably off somewhere in the castle. Will you help- Oh, hey Pidge." Hunk cut off to greet the girl casually as he noticed her sit up from underneath the covers. After a double take, his eyes went wide and he spoke again. "Pidge? Why is- Wha.. Lance.." As he said the boy's name, his expression was suddenly suspicious, his eyes narrowed._ _

__"Huh?" Lance frowned, seeming to have forgotten the girl was in his room. "Oh. Ohh." He laughed and looked back at her. "Good morning, Pidge. I guess Shiro is looking for you? And we slept in. How you feeling?"_ _

__Pidge was blushing now, the warmth spreading to her ears. "I-I feel fine.." She said, her voice quiet, then stood and stepped over after shoving on her glasses. "I'll go see what Shiro wants. A-And nothing happened, Hunk. So don't get any funny ideas!" And with that, the brunette walked in quick steps down the hallway to find their leader._ _

__***_ _

__"Hunk, stop looking at me like that. I can feel your eyes." Pidge frowned slightly as she looked up from what she was working on, shooting the boy a glare. "I already told you it was nothing. I was showing him something on my laptop and-"_ _

__"You didn't have your laptop." He pointed out with a shrug, his head rested on his hand while his elbow was leaned on the table. "Your laptop was in your room, right? You didn't have it when you left his, and you didn't go back for it."_ _

__"Ugh, stop being so observant!" She snapped, her eye twitching in annoyance. "Fine, whatever. I had a nightmare and he was comforting me. Okay? Now stop asking." Her cheeks flushed a gentle pink and she looked away, her lips formed into a pout. It was embarrassing enough that they had been caught, and talking about it only made it worse. She was just grateful it hadn't been Shiro, or someone who would tell him. At least, she trusted that Hunk wouldn't tell._ _

__"Hey, Hunk. Don't.. Don't say anything about it to anyone else. Okay?" The green paladin looked back to the yellow, her expression serious. When he looked uneasy, almost guilty, she stood up. "Hunk, who did you tell?" Came a growl._ _

__"W-Well you see, I ran into Keith on the way back from Lance's room. And I think I saw the mice, so Allura probably knows, and.." He stood up as well, taking a step back as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I-I saw Allura talking to Coran earlier, and they both seemed pretty surprised. So.. I mean, but maybe it was something else?"_ _

__Pidge closed her laptop, shoving it under her arm before she stomped off. "It isn't what it looked like!" She called, exasperated. "I don't like-" As the girl bumped another, she cut off and looked up. A black shirt, a scarred face, a white streak of hair. "Shiro.."_ _

__***_ _

__For some reason, Pidge couldn't get comfortable. She tossed and turned in her bed, her tired eyes unable to keep shut. Whether it had been minutes or hours she couldn't tell, but either way it was unbearable. 'Why can't I sleep?' The girl wondered in annoyance, only able to come to the conclusion that it was because of the scolding she had received earlier in the day. No, not the scolding. She understood perfectly Shiro's protectiveness, he was like a second older brother to her. It was lance. How casual he had been._ _

__He had simply brushed it off as a joke, as if he hadn't been helping her through the aftermath of nightmares. As if her showing up at his door in the middle of the night in tears because she was terrified he was going to leave without so much as a goodbye was no big deal. He just laughed as Shiro scolded him, saying the man shouldn't be so serious._ _

__With a groan she flipped onto her back and threw off the covers, her light brown eyes glaring at the ceiling. "I didn't even get to say anything!" She turned onto her side with a huff, then frowned a bit sadly as she murmured to herself. "I guess I was just disrupting his sleep, anyways. I'll deal with it myself." And with that, Pidge forced her eyes shut in hopes to eventually fall asleep._ _

__***_ _

__'Tired.' Pidge had her head on the table, her goo going untouched. The room was too bright, the table too loud. And even worse, Lance was acting perfectly normal. She knew it shouldn't bother her, he was simply doing what they both had been doing. Acting as if nothing happened. Which was true in this case, last night they had both stayed in their rooms as instructed, in fear of facing Shiro's wrath. So why was she so peeved at his casual personality?_ _

__"Hey, Pidge, are you going to eat?" Hunk spoke up from beside her, only to earn a glare from the girl. "Not hungry? O-Okay. You look tired. Maybe you should take a- Okay, okay. No nap. I'll be quiet." The startled boy hushed, going back to his goop._ _

__She sat up and stifled a yawn, sparing a glance to the space goop before she stood. "I'm gonna go.. Science. Yeah." And with that, Pidge left the dinning room in search of a secluded one._ _


	4. Not That Kind Of Girl

After Pidge left, the table went silent as five of the six left watched her leave. Lance, however, dropped from his previous casual attitude and looked at his plate of space goo. While he didn't fully understand why Pidge was so upset about not seeing him, he couldn't help but to feel his own disappointment. He hadn't slept well last night either, but it usually came so naturally to act normally for him.

Coran was the first to speak up. "I don't think that girl is quite as excited as usual to do such things as science." He commented, stroking his mustache in thought. "Shiro, I do hope you weren't too hard on the two yesterday."

As the man said this, Lance was sure he could feel eyes on him. When he looked up, his suspicion was confirmed to be the gaze of the black paladin. It didn't last long, as Shiro soon glanced to the Altean.

"Do you know what teenagers do alone at night, Coran? I don't think that's very appropriate for a paladin." Shiro said, his tone showing a sternness that brought a frown to Lance's lips. "We have more important things to deal with, there's no time for that kind of play."

At that, the Cuban grit his teeth, then stood. His chair slid back with a sound that alerted the whole table, gathering their attention. "That kind of play? Do you even know who you're talking about?"

"Lance, I think you should-"

"No, Hunk. You know just as well as I do that Pidge is not that kind of person. She wasn't in my room for anything bad, Shiro. She's been having nightmares!" Lance was glaring daggers at the man he called his hero, angered more than he thought himself capable. "Just because you think I'm that kind guy, doesn't mean she's that kind of girl. So if you won't let me help her out when she's terrified and alone in the middle of the night, because she thinks she'll never see her brother or dad again, then at least have the decency to do it yourself!" With the rant coming to it's end, Lance left the table of silenced paladins and Alteans to their meal.

He walked from the dining room, past the short brunette whom he didn't notice, and started down the hall towards an empty room. What the others thought of him right now didn't matter, only that what they had thought of Pidge was very wrong. She would never show up to his room with the intention of anything inappropriate, and would likely rip him apart if he tried anything. Not that he wanted to, of course. He made sure to remind himself of that quite often.

When Lance stopped walking, he found himself on a far side of the castle, the room filled with random Altean junk. He leaned against the wall with a sigh and crossed his arms, his eyes falling shut. For a while, that was how he stayed. His consciousness was a bit foggy with emotions and sleep deprivation, passing time he couldn't keep track of.

The sound of approaching steps was feint to his ears, but stirred him enough to crack open an eye. His vision was slightly blurred, but he could make out the figure of the red paladin approaching him from the side.

"Lance." Keith spoke his name with a sigh, looking up at him as he opened his second eye, then rubbed the tiredness from them both. "Have you been in here the whole time?"

Lance yawned and stood up a bit more straight, then recrossed his arms. "Dunno. Why, someone looking for me? Sorry, I dozed off." He chuckled, offering a cocky smile to the other teen out of habit.

"Just about everyone. There must be so much junk in this room that the cameras can't pick up anything. Lance, Pidge thinks you left. She's freaking out." The mullet haired boy said, and before he could say another word Lance had already pushed off of the wall.

"She thinks I left? For the love of quiznak, Keith, where is she?"

"In her room the last I knew. But you aren't allow- I'm talking to air. Whatever!"

***

Out of breath, Lance knocked loudly on Pidge's door, but didn't bother waiting for an answer before he slid it open. "Pidge?" He stepped in, calming his breathing as his gaze fell over the pile of blankets on her bed.

She sat up as he came in, then stood upon seeing it was him. "Lance?" Pidge said his name softly, followed by a sniffle. Obvious by her slightly puffed eyes and red cheeks, she had been crying.

"Pidge.." The blue paladin repeated her name as he stepped forwards, his arms wrapping securely around her. "I'm so sorry, Pidge. I didn't mean to disappear, I just got angry and stomped off. I'm not leaving Voltron, I swear. I wouldn't just leave without a goodbye." He spoke quickly, his eyes squeezed shut as he held her tight against him.

The two were silent a while after he spoke, not moving from that spot as Lance let her cry into his shirt. Eventually she calmed down, and backed up slightly with a frown. "Idiot. I thought you left. We couldn't find you anywhere! I don't want you to leave, I told you that. I-I.." Pidge sighed.

With a soft chuckle, the taller brushed away her remaining tears with gentle thumbs. "I really am sorry. I just.. Needed some time alone, I guess. Didn't realize I was hidden so well. Forgive me?"

Pidge huffed, then took a step back and crossed her arms. "Why were you so casual at the table? It's like you don't even care what Shiro said. Am I just bothering you by-"

"Not once have you bothered me, Pidge." Lance interrupted with a slight frown. "Don't even think that. I.. Honest, I was really happy that I could be the one to help. I just.. Didn't think you would be that upset about it. I'm sure Shiro or anyone else would be better help, but you came to me. Well, I guess it was more of I was the one passing by but-"

This time, it was him who was cut off. "You stood up for me. And.. I'm glad it was you outside of my door that night. I think that you're a lot more of a good person than you give yourself credit for, Lance. You're always joking around, but when you realized that wasn't what I needed you dropped it and were serious." The girl sat back down, but kept her gaze on him. "Shiro treats me like.. Like his best friend's little sister. Keith is already really busy being super emo, and Hunk would worry too much."

As she paused, Lance sat next to her. When he spoke, his voice was soft, his eyes faced forwards. "I worry too, y'know. But it's not like you're weak, you just get a little scared. Who doesn't?"

"You understand that, that's my point. I'm not looking for pity, I just didn't want to be alone.. I was kind of hoping you liked the company, if I'm honest. It's refreshing, seeing how kindly you can smile when you aren't making some dumb joke. I mean the grin is cu- well, nice, but the kind one seems more genuine." The brunette shrugged, her voice having gotten more quiet as her words continued.

"Hey, Pidge?" He finally looked back to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. As the boy opened his mouth to speak again, the words disappeared from his tongue as their eyes met. "Quiznak." He breathed, before he was on his feet and leaving the room in a rush.


	5. Uncomfortable

"Lance, hey!" Pidge was walking after him, a slight scowl on her face as she tried to catch up to him. "Don't just leave, you were about to say something!"

The blue paladin continued on, his head bowed slightly and his fists clenched at his sides. He didn't stop until a hand wrapped around his wrist, and he reluctantly came to a halt as to not drag Pidge to the ground. He didn't yet face her, though.

"What were you going to say before you walked off? Why did you go all 'quiznak' and rush off?" She questioned, looking at the back of his head.

He replied with a pause of silence, before he slowly turned to look down at her. His free hand going up to rub the back of his neck, he glanced away and finally spoke up. "I.. I was just gonna say I do enjoy the company." Lance shrugged as he said this, acting nonchalant. Although the blush that was covering his cheeks brought suspicion.

"Why did you run off? That's basically just letting me know that I'm not a complete and total bother to you. I thought you said you don't comfort and dash? Don't go-" Her angered words were cut off by a hand over her mouth, Pidge's eyes widening slightly in surprise.

Lance was looking at her again, his expression suddenly serious. "You're right, I'm sorry. But fleeing is the only thing I can think of doing that won't get me into trouble with Shiro right now. Or your brother and dad when we find them." His voice was low, and his hand slid from over her mouth to rest on her cheek. 

"Trouble? Wha.. What in space would get you in trouble with one of them? I thought you didn't care what Shiro says about it?" She raised her eyebrows in confusion, her head tilting slightly to the side, against the warmth of his hand.

"I.." As her head leaned, he pulled his hand away. "You're smart, Pidge. What would a protective big brother hate a guy like me doing to his sister?" Lance's blush darkened. "N-Not like bad, I mean. Unless you didn't like it.. B-But I don't mean anything serious! I-I wouldn't do that. I mean.." He trailed off with a sigh. "You didn't even give me time to compose myself. I'm so stupid!"

"Lance, I really, really don't understand you. What does Matt-" Pidge cut off, her eyes going wide as she looked at his exasperated expression. "Y-You don't mean.. That, do you?" Her face was flushed now, the pink color spreading to her ears.

"Yeah. That."

She let go of his wrist and took a step back. "Sorry. I didn't.. I didn't realize. You usually.. Y'know, flirt when you like someone. Don't you? I mean, like with Allura.." The green paladin looked to the side, biting the inside of her cheek. She didn't know what to say, her mind swirling. So instead of waiting for a response, Pidge stepped past him in a pace similar to his previous one and left down the hall. To her relief, Lance did not follow.

***

Three days passed. Pidge wished she could say things went on as normal, the two acting casual. Instead, though, the two were now standing in front of an angry Allura after completely wrecking a team training exercise with embarrassingly awkward interactions.

"What has gotten into you two?" The princess was standing with her hands on her hips, looking like a scolding mother. "Stuttering, rambling? If that were a real mission, you would all be dead and Zarkon would be victorious! How do you expect to communicate in such ways?"

Both teens kept their gazes down, listening as she ranted. Pidge was blushing in utter embarrassment, and couldn't help but to wonder what expression Lance had. Sparing a glance, she was oddly comforted by the fact that he seemed just as uncomfortable being scolded by the woman.

It was Lance who spoke up first as Allura finally paused to breathe. He raised his head, rubbing the back of his neck with a shrug. "You do the same thing with Shiro, don't you? You're a stuttering mess when you get nervous around him. I can't speak for Pidge, but I think it should be pretty obvious why I screw up when I hear her voice. I can't help it, she's.." He cleared his throat, trailing off and looking back down.

There was another pause, then a gasp. Pidge finally looked up, her face contorting in confusion when Allura looked.. Joyful? "Oh, why didn't I see it? So it wasn't just Shiro over reacting, the two of you are like that? Ah, but don't be doing anything inappropriate in my castle, you hear?" Her tone had gone from scolding to excited, then back to scolding. "And no matter what relationship you two have, don't let it interfere with training again. And especially don't let it interfere with any real battles."

Allura turned her gaze to Lance, her expression suddenly scary. "Oh, and Lance? If you bring up anything about Shiro and I again, I will throw you into outer space. Understood?"

***

"Can we talk?" Tonight, it was Lance who showed up at Pidge's door. His hands were in his pockets, his eyes tired and his hair a mess. It was the middle of the night, but it didn't look like he had slept much. If at all.

The green paladin bit her lip, then nodded and stepped back, letting him step into the room. The door slid shut behind him, the room now only illuminated by the light of the laptop that was sat on her bed. "What is it?" She asked, although she had an idea.

After Allura's scolding, the two had no chance to speak with each other. Lance had wondered off in fear of the princesses wrath, which left Pidge to an excruciating conversation with her.

Lance hesitated, then stood up a bit more straight and spoke up. "Listen, I don't know if what happen during training was just you being uncomfortable with how I feel, but I wanted to talk about it, anyways. Well, not just that. Us in general, actually. I just wanted to.. So I talked with Shiro after I escaped Allura and.." He sighed, seeming annoyed. "Why is this so hard to say? You were right, I usually flirt. But I've never had like a.. Well I mean not to say I've never dated, but I guess I didn't really feel like that with-"

"Lance." Pidge cut him off, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "You're rambling. But I get it." She looked down at her feet, a slight blush tinting her cheeks. Although, she doubted he could see in this lighting. "I.. Me too. I think."

"Really?" He grinned, a genuine one that made her stomach flip. "So will you.. I mean.. We should hang out. Like a.. Like a date hang out at the next decent planet. If you want to?"

With a light laugh, the brunette nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I want to." In a slow movement, she uncrossed her arms to wrap them around his waist. "I would love to."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This is the first chapter of five, each about a thousand words each. Updates shouldn't be too far apart, since it's already completed. ^^


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